Tobacco stick holder and stick feeder



June 13, 1950 T. B. KREEGER 2,511,473

TOBACCO STICK HOLDER AND STICK FEEDER Filed June 30, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Thomas B. Kreeger fizwaaiim.

June 13, 1950 T. B. KREEGER TOBACCO STICK HOLDER AND STICK FEEDER Filed June so, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3.

I11 ran/or Thomas B. Kreeger Wyn/may 3m Patented June 13, 1950 arisen gs as LPATENT OFFICE "TOBACCWSTIGK HOLDER ANDTSTICK *LFEEDER ekiGlaims. 1 "My "invention relates to" improvement in ,tobacco stick holders and feeders for -usein :loaiding "such sticks with tobacco'leaves.

As explanatory, it is" the usual 'practice to load taken: on the regular line '55" of Figurel s and Figure (i-is a similar view taken onthe line "6-45 of Figure l.

*Re'ferring' now tothe drawings by numerals,

so-called tobacco sticks '-with tobacco leavesby my improved tobacco stick holder an'd'feeder, in

tying the green 1eaves-to" -the sticks-in clusters spaced along the same,'thesticks'being'then used for hanging thegreen-tobacco" leaves in a' curing barn, or the likeQfor curing. The tobacco sticks "are heldhorizontally in holders; usuallyyandsthe able manner, in laterally spaced, parallel relation and whichform downwardly and outwardly inloading or tying isdone by an operator stand ing up before the sticks-aridmoving along't-he same to space'the tying properly. "Thi 'ls laborious, fatiguing andtime-consuming.

With the foregoing in mind,"it is the primary object' of my invention'to provide a sir tple form r of 'device'for holding su'ch tobacco stlcks by one end and feeding the same away froman operator seated, so thatthe'tobaccoleavesmay be tied to and spaced along the sti'eks'by the seate'd oper- 2 iator; wherebytherloading ofsuch sticks' mayebe accomplished quickly and easily andz-with aiminimum amount of labor.

Another object is to provide -adeviceof"I-the --'character --a-n"d" for the purpose above s'etforth' which is adapted-foruse-by eitl1erright= or 1efthanded operators.

-Still another object is to provide 'atoba'cco stink holder and iie'eder which will not reartliilyzget and comparatively inexpensive lad-manufacture. Other and subordinate 5 objects also corirpre- "hende'd- 'by my invention, togetherwiththe pre- "cise nature of my improvements; and the-advantagesthereof will be readily understoocl'whenthe' succeeding description andclaims are read with reference to the drawings accompanyingand forming a part ofthis-specificatlon.

' In-the drawings:

"Figure 1 is a view in :side' elevation, partly broken -away,- and illustrating my improved-tobacco stick' holdenarid 'feederin a 'preferre'dzembodi-m'ent thereof, the parts being shown 'innormal position;

" Figure 2-15 a similar viewillustrating' theto =bacco stickholder feeding bars with' t-he tobacco -stickholderswunginto the limit of *movement thereof in one direction, and-*the seat'post lowered *to move the long lever "arm' of' the -lever''bar*up "war'dly' for suchswinging'o'f said'feedingfbars; D

the illustrated preferred embodiment thereof, *comprises abase frame I embodying a pair of "side by-sida-horizontal beams 2 supported at'the endsthereof' by pairs of subjacent cross bars 3 on :which said beams 2 are secured, in any suit mined-supporting and stabilizing legssfor said frame. Thebeamsland bars 3 may be formed of any'suitable, relatively light, strong material such as wood.

'-'A tubular-seat post guide 4 arises from one end of the frame"! with a base flange 5 suitably secured to the beams 2 at one end'ther-eof so that said guide 4 is vertically aligned with'the space between said beams 2.

A-seat post=6 extends downwardly through the seat post guided into the space between said beams '2 with a lpreferably rectangular seat panel 1 on the'upper end thereof suitably attached adjacent one end of said panel on top of said post sothat theseat panel'l may extend endwise from said post '6 well beyond one side of the frame "l for apurpose presently seenv The seat'post- 6 is 'vertically'movable and rotatable in the seat post guide 4 for a purposeto be explained.

A lever bar 8 is pivoted, intermediate its ends, asatil, to extend horizontally in the space be- "tween the beams 2 and rock vertically, the pivot 9 --being=arranged"to'provide-a-short lever arm 10 on said bar 8 on the end of which the seat post 6'rests,-*and a long lever arm ll onsaid bar 8 adapted to'berocked upwardly by the weight of -an-operator seated un -the seat panel "I.

A leafspring iii overlies'the long lever arm H bf'the lever'banfl withone endfitted, as at' i3, to

"'thebeams '2 and tensions said lever arm 5 l against bei rocked upwardly. A set screw l'threaded into cross cleat' on said beams 2 is provided for -turning'against said spring 62 to vary the-tam sion eXertedagainstsaid lever arm 5! 'A' pair of upstanding stick holder feeding bars Hi, i! at-theend of the frame l opposite the seatlower ends thereof between the beams? adjacent the': l'eng lever arm 5 i, to be'swung sideby side in spaced apart relation in the plane of the "frame I toward and fromtheseat panel'- 'l.

A stick holder 253 pivotally connects the 'upper endsof saidfeeding bars l6, l1. "-The-sti'ckholder comprises an elongated plate 2! extending endwise, horizontally, across the upper ends of said feeding bars l6, H and pivoted adjacent opposite ends thereof to one side of said bars, as at 22, 23 so that said bars l6, !1 form a parallel link motion and maintain said holder 2%! horizontal. An upstanding, forked stick rest 2 on one end of said plate 2! faces the seat-equipped end of the frame I. An upstanding stick grip 25 on the other end of said plate 2! curves toward said rest 24 with a downwardly curving and opening end fork 26 adapted to straddle and fricticnally grip one end of a tobacco stick 2'! disposed horizontally in said rest 24 with its major portion extending from said rest toward and over the seat panel 1 and overbalancing said stick 2? on said rest 26 to force said end of the stick into said fork 2%.

An abutment block 28 on the feeding bar 15 overlies the end of the long lever arm I! of the lever bar 8 and is secured to said bar it by bolts 29, the arrangement being such that when said lever arm H is moved upwardly, the end of the lever arm slidably engages said block 28 and thereby swings the stick holder feeding bars 95, H away from the seat panel .7 from a normal position. A suitably arranged coil spring tensions the stick holder feeding bars !6, I! so as to swing into a normal position in which the same incline upwardly toward the seat panel 1 above the same.

A suitable twine holder 3! is provided on the seat-equipped end of the frame to hold a ball of twine within easy reach from the seat panel 1. In using the described invention, the operator, not shown, positions one end of the tobacco stick 2'! into the tobacco stick holder 29 in the manner described and with the tobacco stick holder 28, and said feeding bars l5, H in the described normal position shown in Figures 1 and e. In this connection, it is to be explained that said feeding bars Hi, i l in the normal position thereof hold the end of the tobacco stick 2'5 in said holder 28 within reach of an operator occupying the seat panel I. The operator now mounts the seat panel I astride the same facing one side or the other of the frame 5, depending on whether he or she is right or left handed, so that the tobacco stick 2! extends across the operators lap. In this connection, it will be noted that the seat post 6 being rotatable in the seat post guide 4, the seat panel 1 may be turned to extend outwardly of either side of the frame 8 so that a seated operator may have the tobacco stick 2'! crosswise of his or her lap when facing either side of the frame I. When seated, the operator may hold onto the tobacco stick 2? so as to prevent his weight from operating the lever bar 8, and consequently the tobacco holder feeding bars l6, IT, in a manner which will be clear. By tying the tobacco leaves, not shown, along said stick 2?, beginning adjacent said holder 2!], and alternately releasing and gripping said stick 2?, the weight of the operator may be utilized to lower the seat post 6 and thereby cause the lever bar 8 to be rocked so as to intermittently move the long lever arm I! upwardly and swing the tobacco stick holder feeding bars I6, I? away from the operator, step by step, until the tobacco stick 2'! is fully loaded. Then the operator may remove the loaded tobacco stick 21, in a manner which will be understood, and arise from the seat panel I to permit the coil spring 30 to return the tobacco stick holder feeding bars I6, I1, together with said holder back to normal position, the leaf spring 12, in the meantime, returning the lever bar 8 and the seat post 6 and seat panel 1 to normal position. Then the operations described may be repeated. As shown in Figure 2, a suitable stop 3| on the frame I is provided for limiting swing of the tobacco stick holder feeding bars I6, I l away from the operator. The tension exerted by the leaf spring [2 may be regulated in accordance with the weight of the operator, by means of the set screw I l, so that such weight will cause upward movement of the long lever arm ll Of the lever bar 8 to operate the tobacco stick holder feeding bars IS, IT in the manner described.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention as described is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, a base frame, a seat for an operator, means to mount said seat on said frame for downward movement under the weight of the operator seated on the seat, a holder adapted to grip one end of a tobacco stick and hold the same in horizontal position with said stick extending across said seat and the lap of the operator when seated on the seat, supporting means for said holder movable on said frame to move said holder away from said seat for correspondingly moving the stick relative to the operator seated on the seat, and means on said frame operative by the seat in its downward movement to engage said supporting means and move the same, said supporting means comprising parallel links pivoted on said frame for maintaining said holder horizontal together with said stick.

2. In a device of the class described, a base frame, a seat for an operator and including a seat post, means to mount said seat post on said frame for downward movement under the weight of the operator seated on the seat, a holder adapted to grip one end of a tobacco stick and hold the same in horizontal position with said stick extending across said seat and the lap of the operator when seated on the seat, supporting means for said holder movable on said frame to move said holder away from said seat for correspondingly moving the stick relative to the operator seated on the seat, and means on said frame operative by the seat post in its downward movement to engage said supporting means and move the same comprising a lever bar pivoted on said frame for vertical swinging, said seat post resting on one end of said lever bar.

3. In a device of the class described, a base frame, a seat for an operator and including a seat post, means to mount said seat post on said frame for downward movement under the weight of the operator seated on the seat, a holder adapted to grip one end of a tobacco stick and hold the same in horizontal position with said stick extending across said seat and the lap of the operator when seated on the seat, supporting means for said holder movable on said frame to move said holder away from said seat for correspondingly moving the stick relative to the operator seated on the seat, means on said frame operative by the seat post in its downward movement to engage said supporting means and move the same comprising a lever bar pivoted on said frame for vertical swinging, said seat post resting on one end of said lever bar, and spring means on said frame for opposing swinging of said lever bar in accordance with the weight of the operator seated on the seat.

4. In a device of the class described, a base frame, a seat for an operator, means to mount said seat on said frame for downward movement under the weight of the operator seated on the seat, a holder adapted to grip one end of a tobacco stick and hold the same in horizontal position with said stick extending across said seat and the lap of the operator when seated on the seat, supporting means for said holder movable on said frame to move said holder atvay from said seat for correspondingly moving the stick relative to the operator seated on the seat, and means on said frame operative by the seat in its downward movement to engage said supporting REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 181,739 Strasser Aug. 29, 1876 1,510,869 Skinner a. Oct. 7. 1924 

